Orchestras: Up from the Grave

"My God!" marveled Conductor Antal Dorati. "What spirit! They're better than ever!" He sounded like a man who had just seen a corpse walking—as indeed he had. Ten months ago, the Philharmonia, considered by many to be London's finest orchestra, had been formally dissolved by its founder-owner, Impresario Walter Legge (TIME, April 17). Nonetheless, the orchestra struggled back to life, gave its official comeback concert under Otto Klemperer in October. Since then, the New Philharmonia, as it is now called, has shown that it is as robustly alive and kicking —if Leggeless—as...